Home Daily News Russia probe began with FBI's secretive 'Crossfire… Criminal Justice By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted May 17, 2018, 9:09 am CDT The probe of Russian influence in the election began when an Australian ambassador in London met with FBI agents in the summer of 2016. The ambassador, Alexander Downer, revealed that a Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, told him during a night of drinking that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reports. The Times story is based on interviewed with a dozen current and former officials, many of whom spoke anonymously, as well as a review of documents. Papadopoulos had his information before online publication of the hacked Democratic emails. The FBI opened an investigation with the code name “Crossfire Hurricane,” a reference to a Rolling Stones lyric. Meanwhile, retired British spy named Christopher Steele told an FBI official in July 2016 about suspected links between Trump campaign officials and … [Read more...] about Russia probe began with FBI’s secretive ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation
Russia probe
Trump denounces Russia probe one year after Mueller appointment
A year to the day after former FBI Director Robert Mueller was named as Special Counsel to investigate allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 elections, President Donald Trump lashed out at the ongoing probe, again denying that he coordinated any actions with Russia, or obstructed justice in the resulting investigation, as Mr. Trump charged that the FBI ‘spied’ on his campaign. “Congratulations America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history,” the President wrote on Twitter. Mr. Trump’s tweet came a day after the current FBI Director, Christopher Wray, rejected assertions that the probe was a ‘witch hunt,’ telling a Senate panel that his agents are doing the best they can to find the truth about Russian meddling in the 2016 race. The President’s frustration with the probe came on the heels of a large document dump from the Senate Judiciary Committee, which officially released testimony … [Read more...] about Trump denounces Russia probe one year after Mueller appointment
Inside year one of the Mueller Russia probe
Washington – It was one year ago Thursday when Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department’s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The 12 months since have yielded a flurry of criminal indictments and guilty pleas, tense court appearances, angry tweets from the president and speculation over what the ever-taciturn Mueller already knows and what he’ll investigate next. Hundreds of pages of court filings, and public statements from witnesses, have to an extent pulled back the curtain on an extraordinarily secretive investigation. But much remains hidden from view. A look at the last year and what may lie ahead: What is Mueller investigating? There’s no doubt Mueller’s investigation is far reaching, but at its core, prosecutors have remained focused on two central questions: Did the Trump campaign collude with the … [Read more...] about Inside year one of the Mueller Russia probe
Never-ending Russia probe could fuel GOP’s midterm message
close Video Mueller's Russia probe, 1 year later: Where's the evidence? One year after Special Counsel Robert Mueller began his Russia collusion investigation, has any evidence surfaced that benefits Democrats? #Tucker As Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe hits the one-year mark Thursday, Republicans in midterm elections have started to see an opportunity to use the Trump controversy to their advantage – by appealing to voters tired of the never-ending investigation. Candidates in some GOP primaries this year already have worked to woo Trump supporters by arguing it’s time to end the Russia probe. Other Republicans are likely to follow suit amid a sense of Mueller investigation fatigue. “I think you could see others embrace that messaging because the states that are up in 2018 on the Senate side are super red,” one Republican strategist involved in the midterms told Fox News. Whether the message has appeal beyond a Republican … [Read more...] about Never-ending Russia probe could fuel GOP’s midterm message
New documents spur new questions on Trump-Russia probe
Donald Trump Jr. told Senate investigators that he did nothing wrong in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting which had been advertised as one that might give the Trump Campaign “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, as an unexpected document dump by a Senate committee on Tuesday released new information about the investigation, spurred new questions, and filled in some blanks about the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.“I did not collude with any foreign government and did not know anyone who did,” Trump Jr. said flatly in his interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee, as the panel released transcripts of Trump Jr. and others involved in that controversial Trump Tower gathering, handing out no information which showed any direct links to President Donald Trump, but raising more questions about contacts with Russians during the election. It was the first time official testimony had been made public from a Trump family member on the Russia probe, as … [Read more...] about New documents spur new questions on Trump-Russia probe